


Firestar's Portent

by Pteriforever



Series: The Great Burning [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 22:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pteriforever/pseuds/Pteriforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ravenpaw is troubled by something. One night, StarClan decides to call on him one last time and Firestar grants a horrifying message that he alone is able to pass onto the Clans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firestar's Portent

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first work on AO3 to have Greystripe in it. I'm rather alarmed that nobody here has written a story including him ._.

The small black tom glared at the heavens.  
All the stars seemed as different as they had been on the other two or three thousand midnights he'd lived through, in which time he'd sat and watched while the world fell apart around him.  
This particular night, however, soemthing felt more amiss than normal, and he wanted answers. It was like a compulsion; it should've seemed like an utterly stupid idea. No longer holding any nervousness of the ominous natural structure he had never had a reason to go, he set one paw and then another in the direction of Highstones. After all, where else would he turn to? Something inside him made him feel very uneasy and uncomfortable, and he burned to know why.  
He turned around momentarily and saw the vague shape of Spottedkit sleeping in a mess of straw. She could probably do without him at least until dawn; it's not like she was tiny and helpless, and it was a fairly safe time of year.  
He padded off into the airy blackness, lit only by the grim ambience of a crescent moon, seemingly as thin as a leaf. His thoughts slowly drifted to the cats he once knew; he always wondered where they were and what they were doing now. Hopefully, this trip would answer those questions.  
Feeling the stars glare at him, as if they were trying to burn 2000 microscopic holes through his pelt, he realised the night was dead silent.  
Every single creature was locked away in its den, fleeing from the vulnerability and agoraphobia of an unforgiving, cold, and cloudless place.  
There was no wind either. Nothing but icy gloom and irritating quietness.  
This cat felt confused by his own actions, not completely sure why he was making such a journey. He still felt guilty for leaving Spottedkit all alone without telling her; despite his attempts to convince himself that she was perfectly fine and safe where she was -- sheltered from the cold, with any potentially threatening creatures cowering in distant dens, most of them too wise anyway to go near anything of the Twolegs' -- she was the only cat he had left who even cared about his existence, and the only one he had spoken to in almost three moons. He had found her alone on the far side of the thunderpath, the same one that he realised with a little shiver that he was coming up to.  
Eventually he learned that Spottedkit had been abandoned when she was only a few moons old; he wasn't sure exactly how old she was but it wasn't really ever important. Later, he thought reminiscently, he had discovered that she was the daughter of a rogue and a kittypet, who were extremely incompetent parents. This made Spottedkit herself the lowest form of outcast; a cat with a paw in each of two worlds both shunned by anyone with any level of dignity. In retrospect, she probably would've been better off with the noble Warriors of the Forest had they not moved on a dozen seasons ago and were now StarClan-knows-where.  
The grass beneath his paws was already crusty with frost, and it was beginning to make his pads numb. It was almost a relief to scamper across the marginally warmer black stone of the Thunderpath. Though it was just as devoid of Twoleg monsters or any form of movement as anything else tonight. Still, he instinctively felt too nervous of it to rest in the middle, and walked on, feeling full of all the force and agility of an apprentice.  
Because, in a way, he was one.  
All these thoughts had passed the time, and with his brain feeling as numb as his paws, he was hit by an uneasy calm as he realised he had already reached and was now standing on the edge of Highstones' faint shadow, only meters from the place the cat known as Yellowfang used to speak about so reverently. It was called Mothermouth, and this cat was here for a reason.  
His name was Ravenpaw, and he wanted answers.  
He took a step into the even purer black, and then another, all four of his legs trembling as he nervously strode into the once-sacred tunnel. He had heard rumours that it had been blocked off, but here he was, walking into it.  
All two thousand members of StarClan seemed to soften their gaze at him as he made his way inside. He felt welcome, despite it not being any special moon phase, and him not technically even being a Clan cat.  
Upon taking an eleventh step into the cave, he suddenly broke the silence, yowling in alarm as his face bashed a wall of ancient rock, which felt like it had never been anything but cold; created here, where it would never, ever see the sun.  
He was dizzy for a few seconds, his head aching and throbbing as if a pulsating sphere was trapped inside it. Proceeding with even more caution, he picked his path forward, twisting downwards for what felt like an hour. His nerves never faded, and he felt extremely jumpy the whole way, grateful that it was just as silent here as it was outside. It was just as cold down here too, and he found himself wishing he had a fluffier pelt. It was quite possibly the most bitter day of leaf-bare, and even Spottedkit would be more comfortable, he thought to himself.  
Eventually -- by now, he had utterly lost track of time -- Ravenpaw reached the final chamber. The Moonstone stood in front of him. It was not even moonhigh, but it wasn't completely dark; the hole above him let in the faintest glimmer of moonlight, just enough for Ravenpaw to see the vague shape of he Moonstone. To him, it seemed more ominous than heavenly, looming over him as if it was pretending to be Tigerstar's shadow.  
Something definitely drew him here tonight, but he didn't feel like he obeyed. It was more like making a blind jump into blackness.  
He curled up in a tight ball on the uncomfortable rock floor, then nudged himself towards the supposedly beautiful monolith, and finally, in a single action which somehow simultaneously required zero courage and everything he had, touched his nose to its base.  
Not surprisingly, he found it difficult to sleep. All the rocks around him were as frigid and dead as everything else. No longer sure of why he listened to his urge to come here, he shut his eyes very tightly and concentrated on his own breathing. Maybe it was appropriate to meet, challenge, question, or whatever else he wanted to do to the heavens on the most depressing night of the season.  
Feeling like he had been there for hours, he opened his eyes, fed up with all this, but rather than the black cavern, he was in a living and heavily sunlit forest. He couldn't suppress a little purr of surprise that this idea had actually worked.  
A little shake, Ravenpaw climbed to his feet. He turned around, revealing that he was indeed alone. He gave a relieved sigh, glad that it wasn't cold here at least.  
Okay, he realised silently, maybe he wasn't here to challenge anything or anybody. Still, it felt somehow appropriate to be here right now.  
He didn't need to wait long before he was met by a cat, who materialised in front of him in a rush of gleaming sparkles.  
Ravenpaw adjusted his eyes to focus on the StarClan cat. He was an average-sized tom, with a fluffy grey pelt, and a familiar shine to his bright yellow eyes.  
He took half a step back, shifting a couple of his paws further away, as he realised something: he knew this cat.  
"g-Greystripe?", he began, his voice a little shaky, as if he had not spoken in a while.  
Greystripe nodded slowly. "Yes…~", he spoke after a moment.  
"It's me, and I've been waiting for you, Ravenpaw.".  
"You've been… waiting?", Ravenpaw began with interest. "I just found myself irrationally drawn here!", he added a little more loudly, in mild bemusement.  
Seeing his confusion, Greystripe stepped closer.  
"I'm fairly sure you were called here, in that case.", came his patient response.  
"But… why?", Ravenpaw brought himself to ask.  
Lowering his voice a little, the grey StarClan warrior continued. "Recently, we have taken an interest in you. You have a role yet to play in StarClan's eyes, and we don't even know what we're up against… This is the first thing we need you for, Raven. We think you're Firestar's weakness."  
A little alarmed by the situation becoming more convoluted than he had anticipated, questions raced through Ravenpaw's head. "What does any of this have to do with me? How do you know I can help if the threat is so vague? Are you and Firestar enemies now? Is he… here?".  
Greystripe calmly took in this barrage of questions.  
"I'll tell you all I can. You're an unusual one. You've rejected the warrior code but, somewhere inside you, you still haven't given up on the Clans. We've got theories on what the danger they face is like, and You face that danger, too. Every cat does. And Firestar? Yes, he is… dead, but he isn't here.".  
Ravenpaw let out a gasp. "What? How does that work?".  
Greystripe seemed to stare past him and into space at this question, and subtly bowed his head as he recalled what had happened.  
"He is elsewhere. StarClan rejected him.".  
This caused Ravenpaw's expression to change to one of alarmed disbelief. Seeing his state, Greystripe went on, knowing a longer explanation was needed.  
"Somewhere along the line, the fire in him that alone saved the Clans slowly went out. He became spiteful, and started a blood feud against Tigerstar's family, sending his Clan into pointless battles to this end, shedding innocent blood on both sides. However, when he turned against his own depty, Brambleclaw, the Clan's loyalty ran out. When this inevitably made him fly into an inconsolable rage, aggressive to his own Clanmates, he was killed by a ThunderClan warrior in self-defense. By this time, he was no longer a hero, just an angry and bitter cat. In death, he was judged as one."  
Ravenpaw accepted this explanation even though he was still shocked to hear of his old friend's actions. He swallowed his surprise and nodded. "But where is he now?"  
"I'll show you. We need you to talk to him, if you really are his weakness."  
Still feeling overwhelmed, Ravenpaw regathered his courage. Sensing that he was still getting the wrong idea, Greystripe spoke one more time. "Don't worry, we're not going to fight him. There's something important to the fate of every cat that he knows, but refuses to tell. If there's one cat who can make him speak, I'd say it'd be you. You were good friends, and your circumstances are unique.".  
He seemed to Ravenpaw to be much more patient than he was in life. Perhaps he was just calm and serious out of concern over whatever Firestar's unknown but ominous message was.  
Ravenpaw nodded slowly once more.  
A moment later, Greystripe gestured to behind himself and turned. "Come with me.". Ravenpaw followed, acutely aware of the sound of his paws hitting the ground. Even Greystripe was moving with less comfort and fluidity than StarClan usually did, and every so often he'd pause for a fraction of a second to look around himself, seeming to glare off to the side.  
"I feel it too…", Ravenpaw breathed after a while. This part of the forest felt pretty much the same as where they were before, but at the same time he felt a sense of real progress.  
"That's… worrying.", Greystripe replies. "I've long sensed something was badly amiss, but now if even living cats are noticing… then what's coming… must be truly disastrous…". He spoke slowly as he pieced together what was happening, clearly thinking much faster than the words were coming out.  
Ravenpaw frowned nervously. He half-expected it would be some kind of disaster; his intense unease had told him that much. Still, news didn't doesn't get much worse than that.  
/If/ Greystripe's guess was correct.  
He walked on with Ravenpaw following, in silence and at a faster pace than before. Feeling a chill suddenly surround and take hold of him, Ravenpaw paused, feeling hesitant to continue. Greystripe waited wordlessly for him to walk on, which he eventually did, albeit after a long moment.  
Only five or more steps past this point, Ravenpaw shuddered as he felt rather than saw the light and soul drain out of his surroundings.  
"We're here.", Greystripe announced solemnly.  
This place was certainly not StarClan anymore. The trees were now thicker, twisted and scattered with fungi. It also reeked of mud. Everything about this place seemed gritty and empty.  
Ravenpaw turned around. Behind him was no trace of the bright place he had just arrived from.  
Greystripe opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a voice growled from somewhere in the gloom. Ravenpaw spun around a second time, back to his original direction, and a slightly transparent cat with matted grey fur and a cold spiteful glow in her eyes stepped forward. She acknowledged him with a hateful stare, but she seemed much more interested by Greystripe's presence.  
"What are you doing here!?", the hate-filled she-cat spat. "You don't belong here, you're not welcome. Leave right now, or I'll fetch some cats to rip you both apart.". Her tone was final.  
Greystripe's pelt bristled with hostility. "You're one to threaten, Rainflower. We're here to visit Firestar. Step out of the way."  
Ravenpaw made himself as small as possible, not wanting any part in this, especially if it escalated.  
Fortunately, it took no more than a few threatening gestures before Rainflower slithered back into the directless forest. She had been all talk afterall.  
Ravenpaw sighed a breath of relief.  
"So… Where are we going to find Firestar?", he asked after a moderate silence, not speaking until he was certain Rainflower was gone.  
"Well, where and if he wants to be found, I'd guess.", came Greystripe's response.  
Ravenpaw nodded in acknowledgement and silence, and walked on, although he only made it a few steps before another shape moved in the mist in front of him, rapidly padding nearer.  
Greystripe gave a quick grin, temporarily breaking Ravenpaw's tension. "We were just looking for you, Firestar!"  
The cat was indeed the notorious flame-coloured warrior. Compared to when Ravenpaw saw him last, his pelt seemed a little thicker and covered his body more properly, probably since he was very thin at the time he left the Forest and was restored to normal, though it was also much duller. He looked considerably older as was to be expected, and his features had a sort of grim outline to them, as if the faint yet harsh moonlight of outside was falling on him from directly overhead.  
One thing that hadn't changed was his burning green eyes, shiny as ever. Eerily, he did not speak at first.  
Greystripe took a large step towards him, and wasted no more time. "I've brought Ravenpaw here; he believes in you, and he'll listen to whatever it is you want to say. There's no reason to keep it a secret any longer. Show him your vision.", Greystripe meowed firmly and with a hint of impatience.  
It seemed a little odd to Ravenpaw for Firestar to be talked down to like this by his former deputy.  
Firestar, though clearly unsurprised at what Greystripe just said, stood motionless for several heartbeats before nervously walking up to Ravenpaw. It certainly wasn't because he felt intimidated, though.  
"If you-", he began hoarsely, before clearing his throat.  
"f you promise that you'll believe me… I'll tell you what you both want to know… Ravenpaw, you are the only living cat still loyal to me, and you're worthy of knowing the truth…"  
"Yes, I promise.", Ravenpaw replied immediately, all his hesitation gone. "I need to know… what's coming? Why do I feel so uncomfortable in my nest every night?".  
This was enough for Firestar, who wordlessly drew even closer to him before touching his muzzle to the top of Ravenpaw's head. AT this moment, Ravenpaw was once again alone, somewhre else; beneath the bitter sky in the frosty night, as he had been not long ago. However, the sky had been mostly blotted out by a blanket of blackness, blocking the stars, and now instead of being cold, it was very warm, almost uncomfortably so.  
He looked up from the ground, to see a reddish glow covering the horizon, as if it was creeping towards him. He felt rather than heard Firestar's voice. "One day, many seasons from now, a Great Burning will be released on the forest. And not just the forest; all you've ever known. The farm will be hit. Even Twolegplace".  
The first shock struck Ravenpaw as he realised the glow was a huge fire in the distance. He took a few steps in the direction he hoped was his barn.  
"The destruction will be complete. You, and all the Clans will be torn apart, wiped out unless you can halt the blaze.".  
Ravenpaw tried to open his mouth to respond, but found he couldn't. He just kept walking.  
"The Warrior code will be torn down, then rebuilt. Cats will flee from the jaws of death more times than you have days in your life. Great powers will be rendered worthless. Students will become masters and vice versa as everything you know turns to ash. Until four legendary leaders prevent its advance at a place where air and water are one, fire will rule over everything in the worst possible way."  
Ravenpaw was quickly losing his sense of direciton, becoming panicked. Where was the barn?  
"The medicine cats think they're smart. Each has experienced their own version of my vision you're experiencing now, but to them, to listen to a Dark Forest cat like myself is heresy. They believe I want them destroyed. Thus, you're the only one who can help them as, being outside the Clans, you still trust me. Please, Ravenpaw, convince the Clans that I'm trying to save them."  
Ravenpaw spied a grisly sight; the body of some long-dead animal laying a short distance away from him. Though practically reduced to crowfood, horror hit Ravenpaw as he saw the unmistakable markings on what was left of the creature's orange tabby pelt.  
/Spottedkit/!?  
Ravenpaw awoke in intense alarm on the smooth rocky floor of the Moonstone's cavern.  
"Ghh!?", he said slowly, climbing to his paws. It was no longer dark; the hole in the top of the cavern was now pouring down light from the predawn.  
The light reassured him. It told him that at least he now know the truth, and wouldn't have his inexplicable premonition anymore. However, its comfort was overshadowed by every single one of Firestar's words, bouncing around inside him, threatening to tear him apart.  
He shivered, that image of Spottedkit burned into him.  
Hurriedly padding out of the cave, the tunnel felt shorter and much more easily traversible; not once did he walk into any solid rock walls. At least he wasn't tired like he felt he should be which was something, and after a while he was once again out in the open.  
The frost was not completed, coating everything he saw with a matrix of delicate white thorns. It was just as bitterly cold as it had been when he arrived, and there was a gentle breeze now, but it didn't take him by surprise; it's not like he was much warmer in his sleep.  
Ravenpaw hastened his pace, vaguely aware he was retracing the steps he had taken in Firestar's disturbing nightmare-message. However, it wasn't fire that lit the sky's edge, but the first rays of sunrise.  
It seemed like almost no time had passed by the time he arrived back to the barn in which he lived. Peering inside, he felt a surge of relief seeing Spottedkit resting precisely where he had left her.  
Withdrawing to the corner, Ravenpaw curled up, feeling more comfortable now for no reason other than that he was somewhere familiar.  
He fell into deep thought quickly, minutes passing by in a haze. Everything was dominated by a single truth; he would eventually have to leave this place he had spent so many seasons.  
As he watched his precious Spottedkit slowly stand up and stretch, he know he had not even begun to achieve his true purpose.


End file.
